Many of the pictures have never been published before, and document key moments in the Soviet Union’s history. The heirs to Alexander Rodchenko, Emmanuel Evzerikhin, Arkady Shaikhet and other greats of Soviet photography have joined to support the project

1920s – Demonstration in Kimry by Leonid Shokin

The organisers are keen that Russians themselves contribute images from their own personal archives too. Olga Sviblova, director of the Moscow Multimedia museum, says: ‘We invite all internet users to participate in the restoration, conservation and popularisation of our visual history where personal stories from every family can be integrated into common Russian history’